De Vere

The de Vere family were an English aristocratic family with origins in Ver, Normandy, France. The family's founder in England was Aubrey de Vere I, a tenant-in-chief of King William the Conqueror. For many centuries, the family was headed by the Earl of Oxford, and this tradition was carried on until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703. The family also traditionally held the titles of Lord Great Chamberlain and Forester of Essex.